King of Chinatown(DVD)

The world of Video Games is currently a billion dollar industry, which profits off fans both young and old. Since it’s creation, a subculture has formed which looks to make playing Video Games a career rather than a hobby. Their goal is to turn "Gaming" into a legitimate sport, where money can be made through competitions, endorsements, and sponsorships. One of the largest communities within this subculture is the “Fighting Game” community.

In order to make a name for one’s self in the “Fighting Game” community; players must start in small arcades and work their way through both local and sponsored tournaments. The largest event is this community is known as the Evolution Tournament, or “EVO”.

This is Justin Wong’s story as he attempts to work his way through the “Fighting Game” scene with the release of "Street Fight IV". Justin's goal is to make playing Video Games competitively his full time career.

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"King of Chinatown [has] the feeling of another film I love (The King of Kong), but with a more modern and gritty twist." -Ryan Kenward, Vagary.tv

"[King of Chintown] is interesting throughout ... you will not be disappointed." -Kyle Wertz, Cleveland Leader

"The casual viewer will most likely not take anything away from this film but for those of us who love eSports and competitive gaming it’s another outlet to delve deeper into the stories that go into the makings of a professional gamer." -Coin-Op TV

Long live the King!

King of Chinatown is more than a documentary about the fighting game community; it is a story. It is the story of the potential conflict between the “industry” and the community, the story of Empire Arcadia attempting to break into the big leagues, and the story of Justin Wong’s quest to become a professional gamer and defeat his arch nemesis on a major stage.

From the beginning, viewers are armed with key pieces of information: Justin is a hugely talented player and confident in his abilities, he is an integral part of the Empire Arcadia structure, and Empire Arcadia plans to grow as an organisation. There is a natural progression to the film. Even the tournaments and scenes featured grow in scale. The initial scenes are shot in a local arcade. This is followed by a tournament in a local Gamestop, games at a garage based arcade, the major Gamestop finals and finally, Evolution (EVO) 2009. The film builds to the biggest stage in the world and Justin’s biggest opportunity, but also his biggest challenge.

Justin’s rivalry with Japanese legend, Daigo “The Beast” Umehara, provides a fitting background to the story arc. The infamous parry video from the loser’s final of EVO 2004 is a painful reminder of Daigo’s dominance over Justin on the competitive circuit. Throughout the documentary, Justin is looking for redemption; he wants to be able to stop people from reminding him about it. In the words of one tournament attendee, “everyone remembers it.” This rivalry is at the focus of Empire Arcadia’s plan as well. If Justin can slay that demon, Empire Arcadia gets a big win under its belt and the potential for massive exposure within “the industry”.

The various strands of the storyline are woven together seamlessly throughout. For example, many interviewed during the documentary such as Justin, Triforce and Ryan “Gootecks” Gutierrez say that the Gamestop tournament may not be widely acknowledged by the community. However, as Triforce explained it will get attention within the industry. It sets Justin on the way to becoming a fully fledged professional, and, of course, it gets Empire Arcadia in the limelight. There is the added benefit that the winner will get the chance to play the Japanese champion, Iyo, Korean champion, Poongko and Daigo himself. This is just one instance where the various threads cross over.

The King of Chinatown is a must-see for any fighting game or competitive gaming enthusiast. It is a gripping story full of twists, turns and emotion. Prepare to learn how the community and industry collide and co-exist, what gamers have to do to make it, and what a year in the life of a gaming organisation feels like.

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